Proposers of big new roads need to prove that the environmental damage done by roads is outweighed by the benefit they provide.As we have seen, the benefits are illusory, congestion gets worse, not better. So, not much benefit then!

Next time you walk past an oak tree, take a closer look and you might notice something a bit unusual. Perhaps some of the acorns are ripening nicely but others seem to have mutated into an abnormal, knobbly mess. What’s going on?